Modular building structures and certain movable components therefor

ABSTRACT

A system of modular building construction employing prefabricated wall and floor components which can be mass manufactured and assembled at a factory or at the building site to form a variety of completed building shell patterns which may be arranged to form single or multiple shell units on level or sloping terrain or stacked to form multiple story buildings. Such dwelling units or shells include mechanical means for covering the exterior window or door wall openings occurring between the assembled wall components by moving parts of the exterior of the building to cover the openings in order to vandalproof the building.

United States Patent Hanna 51 Feb. 29, 1972 [54] MODULAR BUILDING STRUCTURES 3,332,178 7/1967 Foster ..52/7O AND CERTAIN MOVABLE 3,562,974 2/1971 Niemeyer ..52/73 COMPONENTS THEREFOR FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS [721 Paul Hanna Stanfmd, Calif 368,611 4/1963 Switzerland .52/237 [73] Assignee: Vantrex, Stanford, Calif.

Primary Examiner-Pr1ce C. Faw, Jr. [22] led: W- 16, 1970 Attorney-Flehr, Hohbach, Test, Albritton and Herbert 21 A LN 72612 I 1 pp 57] ABSTRACT 52 u.s.c1 ..52/64 52/73 52/185 System building 52/237 prefabricated wall and floor components which can be mass [51] Int CI E04) 1/344 manufactured and assembled at a factory or at the building [58] Fieid 69 70 71 site to form a variety of completed building shell patterns 52/79 which may be arranged to form single or multiple shell units 4 on level or sloping terrain or stacked to form multiple story [56] References Cied buildings. Suchdwelling units or shells include mechanical means for covering the exterior window or door wall openings Nl STATES PATENTS occurring between the assembled wall components by moving parts of the exterior of the building to cover the openings in Dl9l,438 4/1959 Pauls0n..'. ..52/237 X order to vanda|pmofthe building 3,016,115 1/1962 Harrison et al. ..52/71 X 3,083,418 4/1963 Reames ..52/69 X 11 Claims, 11 Drawing Figures J------I--I---.- -I--I---------\\1' lll llllll Ill Patented Feb. 29, 1972 3,645,052

4 Sheets-Sheet 1 PAUL R. HANNA INVENTOR.

BY 55%, W, m dflu'ZL WW ATTORNEYS Patented Feb. 29, 1972 3,645,052

4 Sheets-Sheet 2 PAUL R. HANNA INVENTOR.

BY 5% MJ, 72, m WW I ATTORNEYS Patented Feb. 29, 1972 3,645,052

4 Sheets-Sheet I5 PAUL R. HANNA INVENTOR.

BY 23%, MAJ, 7, m, WW

ATTORNEYS Patented Feb. 29, 1972 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 PAUL R. HANNA INVENTOR.

BY :,W 724 was, WW

ATTORNEYS MODULAR BUILDING STRUCTURES AND CERTA MOVABLE COMPONENTS THEREFOR BACKGROUND or run mvsrmou Such a system of arranging prefabricated shell units into multiple dwellings would be adaptable to urban renewal or to institutional housing. Such buildings, modular prefabricated and vandalproofed, would be particularly suitable for vacation homes where labor and materials may be scarce. Such socalled second dwellings" or vacation homes are typically left I unattended for prolonged periods of time. Vandalism has been on the increase in areas predominantly comprised of vacation homes. At present, there is no simple system for vandalproofing unattended dwellings.

OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is a general object of the present invention to provide building module components which can be manufactured in a factory and transported to the building site for assembly to form a dwelling; or the components can be assembled in a factory and moved to the site as a completed dwelling.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a modular building construction of the above character which can be vandalproofed by employing portions of the building structure for covering the building openings.

The foregoing and other objectives of the invention are achieved by assembling prefabricated module components which are or can be joined to form hexagonal or half-hexagonal panels or components, each halfor fulkhexagonal component placed with one side resting on and secured to a floor structure to form the walls of a building shell with the open space between sides designed to receive a mechanically moved triangular component to cover the open space; and the top of the structure designed to receive a roof whereby said floor, walls and roof define an enclosed space with means of vandalproofing-said building by moving portions of said building to cover selected openings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an elevationalview of a dwelling in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a vertical elevation in section showing the interior of the building of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a first-floor plan view of a building constructed with three hexagonal wall module components.

- component.

FIG. 9 is a side elevational view of a multistory building structure.

FIGS. 10 and 11 show schematic plan views of'buildings employing three-multiple shells arranged on a horizontal plane.

2 DBSCRIPT ION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The building shown in FIG. I includes a floor structure It supported by pedestal 12 on a sloping terrain 13, The floor It 5 may be any desired shape but preferably-is a triangular or uare floor for use in connection with modularnomponents.

The floor plan of typical buildings is shown in FIGS. 3 or 8.-

'Ihe pedestal 12 can be triangular, hexagonal, square or round and is supported from a foundation. The floor support may be 10 wood, steel or concrete pilings rather than a pedestal.

with the preferred embodiments of the In accordance present invention, the sidewalls 14 are formed of hexagonal building wall modules having their lower edge 16 supported from and suitably secured to the floor .11. The modules are sloped so that opposite edges 17 abut the edges 17 of adjoin-2- ing wall module 14 therebyforming slightly sloping exterior} walls having side openings 18 and an open top.

The hexagonal wall modules can be constructed of various panels; plywood, plastic, fiberglass over a polyurethane filler; board and batten; slate shingles over plywood; shingles and the like. Such modular building panels can be easily constructed with modern manufacturing techniques in a factory and then transported-to the building site. In the event that the size of the building requires exceedingly large modules, the hexagonal modules may be made in two pieces (half hexagons) which can then be joined at site to form the hexagonal module which is then assembled with other modulesto form a dwelling structure. The hexagonal and half-hexagonal modules may be made up of triangular submodules.

Of course, the component modular wall panels and the floor can be factory finished not only with the appropriate eonstruc- I tion materials, finishes and coverings, but may also include electrical wiring, plumbing, heating and the like. The openings 18 may be closed with a suitable closure such as the sloping glass closures 19 which comprise glass plates joined along the edge 20 and supported by a suitable frame 21. It is, of course, understood that rather than glass, the closure may be made of plastic or othersuitable transparent material or may be made of wood, concrete or other opaque material, or a combination thereof. Furthermore, the floor is designed to extend beyond the shell .by means of a hinged triangular deck component.

5 One closure may include a door which provides first-floor ac- Q I cess to-the interior.

The opentop of the structure is provided with a suitable closure 22 such as the trapezoid pieces 23 framed and joined to form a dome or peak. As shown in FIG. 1, the chimney and 5() vents 24 extend throughthe peak.

. Referring to FIG. 3, the first-floor'plan of a dwelling con structed with three wall-modules is shown. It is seen that the floor is a hexagonal panel 24 which is of identical size and shape to the sloping wall panels 14. However, in construction of such a floor panel, reinforcing is provided whereby to provide the structural strength required. A divider arrangement 25 may be provided to divide the open room into three distinct living areas, for example, the kitchen area 26, the bedroom area 27; and the living areas 28. A central core may additionally be provided with a fireplace 29 which communicates with an upstanding chimney 30, FIG. The central core 35 may be constructed to support a second floor 31 in FIG. 2 to provide additional living space such as sleeping quarters. Ac- 5 cess to the .upper space may be provided as, for example, by a ladder 32 in FIG. 2 extending upwardly from the kitchen or other room.

Suitable appliance and interior fixtures such as stove 33, sink 34, shower 36, toilet 38 and the like may be provided,

FIG. 3. The pipes and wiring for the electrical and plumbing fixtures may extend upwardly through the supporting pedestal 12 in FIG. ,1. The pedestal may also accommodate the air conditioner and hot waterheater.

In accordance with another feature of the present invention,

the glass closures 19 in FIG. 2 may be pivoted at their corners IOHWK M17.

materials such as reinforced concrete; metal stressed-skin *within the pedestal. In owner can close up the three triangular side openings to 3 41 in FIG. 7 whereby they may be lifted as indicated by the arrow 42 whereby the edge 20 is lifted to a horizontal position to open the building interior to the out-of-doors.

In accordance with another feature of the invention, the closure 19 and floor extension 43 may both be pivoted to the floor module 11 at 46 so that be-lifted in unison whereby the triangular floor portion 43 closes the side openings 18. The floor extensions and closure may be lifted by means of a cable 51 reeled upon reel 52 which can be driven by a crank or motor, or by hydraulic actuatorSS similar to an aircraft wing-fold device, FIG. 6. The cable motor or actuator may be remotely controlled whereby it can be controlled from the exterior of the building or from this way, upon leaving the house, the

thereby close all lower openings to vandalproof the house. Upon return, he can lower the hinged triangular deck floor sections and provide the window openings.

Thus, the hinged floor portion 43 serves not only as the floor with closure 19 open or closed during occupancy and also as the upfolded protective closure when the building is left unoccupied.

Entry into the building may be by means of a bridge (not shown) which joins onto the floor structure (in case of hillside site) or may bethrough a door 61 and up stairs 62 accommodated in the pedestal and through floor opening 63.

The structure described in connection with FIGS. 3 and 4 is triangular. However, four hexagonal modules may be joined to form a square building such as shown in FIG. 8 wherein four hexagonal wall modules 71 are joined to form sloping wall sections. The floor is a square with the corner openings adapted to be closed by isoceles triangular floor members. The upper edge of the various panels can be closed by trapezoidally shaped closures 76 to form a suitable roof 77 with chimney and flues 78.

FIG. 9 is a side elevational view of a building employing 9 or 12 hexagonal wall modules joined to one another to form a multistory structure. The space between-modules is covered by triangular transparent or opaque members 82 with the lower comer floor portion 83 adapted to operate in the manner previously described with reference to FIGS. and 7 whereby the floor portion may be lifted to vandalproof the building. The triangular panel .86 may form the hinged openingto the interior of the building and may be a solid panel activated by an exterior device.

FIGS. 10 and 11 show schematic plan views of building structures in which three living units 91 formed from building modules are supported on a floor 92. The upper panels may be opaque or transparent to provide light to the interior of the the closure and floor (deck) can structure. It is seen, however, that the panels are readily adapted to be joined in various configurations to form multistory buildings. A variety of deck patterns can surround the multishell structures and can also serve as a carport.

I claim:

l. A modular building comprising a plurality of building walls supported from a floor, each of said walls comprising a hexagonal wall structure having suitable interior and exterior finishes with the lower edge of said wall structure secured to the floor,.the space between edges of said wall structure forming openings, a movable protec 've closure adapted to fit into said openings to close the openings, and a roof structure adapted to fit on the upper edge of said wall structure whereby there is formed a closed building space that is vandalproof.

2. A modular building as in claim -1 wherein at least three of said openings occur at corners of said buildings and the closures are formed by planar transparent members lying in a plane coincident with the walls and joined along one edge to form an angled closure with the lower edge of the members supported from a portion of said floor.

3. A modular building as in claim 2 in which said transparent closure is mounted for independent rotation about a horizontal axis whereby the transparent closure can be lifted independently of the floor.

4. A butlding'module in claim 2 wherein 581d closure and said triangular floor portion supporting said .closure are mounted for rotation about a horizontal axis whereby they can be lifted until the floor portion closes the opening.

5. A building structure as in claim 4 wherein three wall panels are supported on said floor to form a triangular building closure.

6. A- building structure as in claim 4 wherein four wall panels are joined to form a four-sided building structure.

7. A building structure as in claim 4 including means for lifting said comer floor portions and said closures from within the building.

8. A building structure as in claim 1 where said floor is supported from a central pedestal.

9. A building structure as in claim 8 including a stairway in said pedestal which communicates with an opening in said floor whereby to provide access to the interior of the building through the pedestal.

, 10. A building structure as in claim 1 wherein a plurality of geometric shapes of said building enclosures are supported on a floor member. 7

11. A building structure as in claim 1 wherein a plurality of tiers of said modular wall components are employed to form a variety of multistory structures. 

1. A modular building comprising a plUrality of building walls supported from a floor, each of said walls comprising a hexagonal wall structure having suitable interior and exterior finishes with the lower edge of said wall structure secured to the floor, the space between edges of said wall structure forming openings, a movable protective closure adapted to fit into said openings to close the openings, and a roof structure adapted to fit on the upper edge of said wall structure whereby there is formed a closed building space that is vandalproof.
 2. A modular building as in claim 1 wherein at least three of said openings occur at corners of said buildings and the closures are formed by planar transparent members lying in a plane coincident with the walls and joined along one edge to form an angled closure with the lower edge of the members supported from a portion of said floor.
 3. A modular building as in claim 2 in which said transparent closure is mounted for independent rotation about a horizontal axis whereby the transparent closure can be lifted independently of the floor.
 4. A building module as in claim 2 wherein said closure and said triangular floor portion supporting said closure are mounted for rotation about a horizontal axis whereby they can be lifted until the floor portion closes the opening.
 5. A building structure as in claim 4 wherein three wall panels are supported on said floor to form a triangular building closure.
 6. A building structure as in claim 4 wherein four wall panels are joined to form a four-sided building structure.
 7. A building structure as in claim 4 including means for lifting said corner floor portions and said closures from within the building.
 8. A building structure as in claim 1 where said floor is supported from a central pedestal.
 9. A building structure as in claim 8 including a stairway in said pedestal which communicates with an opening in said floor whereby to provide access to the interior of the building through the pedestal.
 10. A building structure as in claim 1 wherein a plurality of geometric shapes of said building enclosures are supported on a floor member.
 11. A building structure as in claim 1 wherein a plurality of tiers of said modular wall components are employed to form a variety of multistory structures. 